ROOKIE forward Tim Smith will miss the rest of the 2017 season, after injuring his foot in Casey’s win over Collingwood at Casey Fields last Saturday.
Elite performance manager Dave Misson confirmed Smith had hurt his navicular bone.
“It was an incident in a marking contest and scans have shown that he’s got a stress fracture in his navicular, which is more than likely going to be the season,” he told Melbourne TV.
“He’ll see some specialists on Tuesday or Wednesday, as to whether we go down the surgical line or the conservative route, which is really bad luck for hi1m.”
Another key forward, Jesse Hogan, is not being rushed back after recently undergoing surgery for testicular cancer.
“Jesse ran this morning and had a bit of a kickaround, so he’s back at work essentially, but we’re not putting a timeframe on when he starts to play again,” he said.
“He’ll need at least two or three weeks of running and probably a similar time or training, so we’re just glad to have him back at the club.”
Ruckman Max Gawn (hamstring) is a chance to return against the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium this Sunday, after being sidelined since round four.
“Maxy’s been doing some really good training and he’s probably got a couple more boxes to tick this week,” Misson said.
“We’ll make a decision later in the week as to whether he plays this week, next week or the week after.”
Midfielder Angus Brayshaw (concussion) isn’t being pressured to return, but is making progress, according to Misson.
“Gus is doing more and more with the group,” he said.
“He’s graduating his progression towards full contact – he’s not quite full contact yet, but every session he’s getting closer and more confident.
“We’re really happy with the way he’s going and we’ll just keep progressing him along that line.”
Youngsters Joel Smith (shoulder) and Lochie Filipovic (hip) are two weeks away from resuming.
“Joel, after [injuring] his shoulder in round one is going really well,” Misson said.
“He’s doing some great training and did some more contact work on Tuesday. He’ll train with the main group on Friday and he’s another couple of weeks away.
“Lochie is doing well and doing some faster running with that hip flexor. He’ll probably look to join in some footy next week.”
First-year Demon Pat McKenna (hamstring) is out for up to two more months.
“Paddy is going very well and is doing some good running,” Misson said.
“He’s started some run throughs. He’s very comfortable running at 75 per cent at the moment, so we’ll keep progressing that, but he’s still probably, realistically, six to eight weeks away.”
Utility Aaron vandenBerg (heel) and defender Colin Garland (knee) are out for the rest of the season, but are in different stages of their recovery.
“Vanders is spending a little bit of time back at home. He had his surgery last week up in Sydney and he’ll be back at the club on the 19th of June,” Misson said.
“Garlo continues to work hard in rehab and getting that knee stronger.”
Melbourne injury list: round 13
Angus Brayshaw (concussion) – indefinite
Lochie Filipovic (hip) – 2 weeks
Colin Garland (knee) – season
Max Gawn (hamstring) – test
Jesse Hogan (testicular cancer) – 4-6 weeks
Pat McKenna (hamstring) – 6-8 weeks
Joel Smith (shoulder) – 2 weeks
Tim Smith (navicular bone) – season
Aaron vandenBerg (heel) – season
